Written answers
Thursday, 14 February 2013

Absent Parents: ScotlandTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases under consideration by the Child Support Agency involve absent parents in (a) Scotland and (b) Perth and North Perthshire...

Employment and Support Allowance: PerthTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed employment and support allowance in Perth and North Perthshire constituency in each of the last three years.

Housing BenefitTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the ability of the private rental market to accommodate people who leave the social rented sector due to their...

Housing BenefitTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of local authority tenants in England and Wales who will be affected by his proposed changes to...

Housing BenefitTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what transitional measures are in place to assist individuals likely to be adversely affected by proposed changes to rules on occupancy for...

Housing BenefitTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures are in place to assist cohabiting couples who are required to sleep in separate bedrooms and who may potentially be affected by...

Housing BenefitTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the costs to the public purse of tenants moving from social housing to private sector housing but who may still...

Housing Benefit: ScotlandTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government about the advice that should be provided to households affected by the introduction of...

Incapacity BenefitTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional support his Department provides for claimants of incapacity benefit.

National Insurance FundTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of any increase in the income of the national insurance fund as a result of the abolition of contracting out.

Pension CreditTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) annual amount of unclaimed pension credit and (b) number of pensioners failing to claim pension credit.

Social Security Benefits: EU CountriesTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what comparative assessment he has made of (a) levels of benefits and (b) qualifying thresholds to access benefits in other EU member states.

State Retirement PensionsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost would be of extending entitlement to the single-tier pension to existing pensioners at the date of its introduction; and how much...

State Retirement Pensions: PerthTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed the state pension in Perth and North Perthshire constituency in each of the last three years.

Vacancies: AdvertisingTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department has taken to prevent jobs that have already been filled being advertised on the Universal Jobmatch website; (2)...

Work Capability AssessmentTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve the accuracy of work capability assessments for people diagnosed with (a) HIV, (b) hepatitis C and (c) other...

Work Capability AssessmentTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to include a success fee as part of the work capability assessment contract in order to penalise the contract...

Brodie ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in total as compensation to Mr Brodie Clark.

Food: WasteTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much surplus food was thrown away by her Department in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Ibrahim MagagTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2013, Official Report, column 562, on Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures, whether Ibrahim...

Immigrants: DetaineesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people detained for immigration purposes suffered from a mental illness in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Immigration ControlsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on how many sponsor licence applications decisions are outstanding; and how many sponsor licence applications lodged before (a) January...

Immigration ControlsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for sponsor licences have taken over six months to decide in the last 10 years.

Immigration: ChildrenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2013, Official Report, column 140W, on immigration: children, for what reasons her Department does not...

IvoryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will undertake research with her African and EU counterparts on the links between serious organised crime and the sale of illegal ivory.

Police: Private SectorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of a requirement for private sector staff working for police forces to be licensed by the Security...

ProstitutionTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been confiscated by the police under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2009 from raids on brothels since that Act's implementation; and...

RegulationTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regulations her Department has repealed in the last six months; and what the estimated cost-saving has been of each such repeal.

UK Border AgencyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials who were working for the UK Border Agency (UKBA) on 1 January 2010 are still working for the UKBA.

Work PermitsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average wait is for Romanian and Bulgarian nationals to receive work permits as of January 2013.

David OrdTo ask the Prime Minister (1) when he last met David Ord; and whether proposals for a Severn barrage were discussed in that meeting; (2) what (a) meetings, (b) correspondence and (c) emails he...

Food BanksTo ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2013, Official Report, column 900, whether he has since visited his local food bank.

ApprenticesTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have lasted for (a) up to six, (b) six to 12 and (c) over 12 months.

ApprenticesTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship programme starts by (a) 16 to 18-year-olds, (b) 19 to 24-year-olds and (c) 25-year-olds and above there...

Apprentices: South YorkshireTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been created in each month since May 2010 in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Barnsley local...

Business: FranchisesTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking (a) to recognise the risks involved in taking on a business franchise and (b) to ensure that business...

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the comments by Professor Ian Hargreaves on the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act...

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times he has met officials at the Intellectual Property Office to discuss the Government's consultation on copyright and...

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any interested party has indicated that it will pursue legal action against the Government if it does not repeal section...

Employment: FemalesTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of women in the workplace.

Insolvency Service: LiverpoolTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what future plans his Department has for the Insolvency Service office in Liverpool.

Intellectual PropertyTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with HM Treasury with regards to the effect of intellectual property reform on the creative industries.

Intellectual PropertyTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the potential effect of intellectual property reform on...

MarketingTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of brands to the UK economy.

Medicine: ResearchTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in his Department have responsibility for (a) life sciences and (b) the pharmaceutical industry.

Regional Growth Fund: North EastTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the Regional Growth Fund on job creation in (a) Northumberland and (b) the North East.

Royal MailTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom about Royal Mail's universal service obligation.

Liquefied Petroleum GasTo ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses that convert vehicles to run on LPG have been operational in the UK in each of the last five years.

Departmental ResponsibilitiesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's core statutory obligations are; and what estimate he has of the annual cost of delivering each such obligation.

Developing Countries: Multinational CompaniesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what specific proposals his Department will recommend to the G8 to tackle tax avoidance by multinational companies operating in developing countries.

EU External TradeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of potential legal action from third parties against Government policy under any Investor State...

Floods: WalesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional funding has been given to Wales as a result of the flooding that occurred in 2012; and how this money has been allocated.

Government Procurement CardTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mean average spend using a Government Procurement Card was per member of staff in (a) his Department and (b) each of its arm's length bodies in (i)...

RegulationTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many regulations his Department has repealed in the last six months; and what the estimated cost-saving has been of each such repeal.

StaffTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are based in each property used by his Department.

Taxation: EnergyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce energy tax exemptions to protect the long-term competitiveness of the UK's energy-intensive industries.

Adoption: MerseysideTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children (a) were placed for adoption, (b) were adopted and (c) started to be looked after due to the breakdown of an adoptive family in (i)...

Alternative EducationTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what percentage of pupils in each alternative provision setting were classified as persistent absentees in the most recent year for which...

Children: Day CareTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the number of hours of (a) formal and (b) informal child care an average child receives each week in (i)...

Children's Centres: LiverpoolTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the quality of provision in each Sure Start centre in Liverpool; and which facilities in Liverpool offer Sure Start...

Christmas CardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Citizenship: CurriculumTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the inclusion of Citizenship and Democracy as part of his core curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

CorrespondenceTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what instructions he has issued to his private ministerial office on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence.

CreationismTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to schools on the teaching of creationism.

Education: QualificationsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many and what proportion of Key Stage 4 examination entries (a) in total, (b) in each non-academy school, (c) in each converter academy, (d)...

Freedom of InformationTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Freedom of Information requests were received by his Department in 2012; and how many such requests were answered late.

GcseTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish details of the recent consultation held by his Department on the proposed changes to GCSE examinations.

GcseTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils in (a) academies and (b) mainstream schools that were not academies achieved (i) A* to C in English and...

GcseTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals who attended schools that were classified by Ofsted as...

Human PapillomavirusTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the availability of measures to support access to education for girls whose access to education is disrupted as a result...

ICT: CurriculumTo ask the Secretary of State for Education when the final decisions on implementation of changes to the curriculum for schools in relation to information technology will be announced; and if he...

Pupils: DisadvantagedTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how much pupil premium was allocated to schools in each local authority area in the last year for which figures are available.

Pupils: Study LeaveTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will investigate the benefits and disadvantages of providing study leave for students taking end of year examinations at 16 years old.

Roads: SafetyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to educate children about proper road safety.

Schools: Snow and IceTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department gives to schools and local education authorities on contingency planning to minimise school closures in the event of snow;...

Teachers: TrainingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that schools offer permanent posts to the teachers they have trained through the School Direct programme.

Teachers: TrainingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost is of training a teacher in each subject through (a) Initial Teacher Training delivered in higher education, (b) the Graduate Teacher...

HorsemeatTo ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Food Standards Agency's statement of 7 February 2013 confirming horsemeat in Findus meat products, which Findus products have been...

CancerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 224W, on cancer, what discussions he has had with (a) the National Institute for Health...

CancerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the commissioning of specialised and non-specialised cancer services will not result in fragmentation...

CancerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of using (a) the results of the national cancer patient experience surveys and (b) the friends and family test to...

Care Homes: Fees and ChargesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to tackle the cost of self-funded places in care homes; (2) what steps his Department is taking to reduce any...

Carers: Yorkshire and the HumberTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of registered carers in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Dental ServicesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date he expects the new NHS dentistry contract development to be completed.

Dental ServicesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase access to dentistry care provided by the NHS.

DiabetesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate is at which GPs are remunerated for individual diabetes tests.

Drugs: PricesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and (b) other bodies on a value-based pricing system of drugs...

Food: TestingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many food sample tests (a) the Food Standards Agency and (b) local authorities acting on behalf of the Food Standards Agency have conducted (i)...

Health Services: LancashireTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the health of people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions in (a) Pendle constituency and (b)...

Heart Diseases: ChildrenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what regional representation there was on the bodies which advised the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts regarding the safe and sustainable...

Horse PassportsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many horses presented for slaughter at UK abattoirs have been rejected by officials because of concerns over their equine passports in (a) the last...

HorsesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which horse premises are on the Food Standards Agency's cause for concern list.

Joint Committee on Vaccination and ImmunisationTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timelines are for the review of the Code of Practice for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation; and if he will make a statement.

North East Strategic Health AuthorityTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2012, Official Report, column 470W, on NHS: expenditure, for what reasons the North East Strategic Health Authority...

Nurses: Labour TurnoverTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of nurses that will (a) join and (b) leave the NHS in 2013.

Nurses: RecruitmentTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time nursing posts were advertised through the NHS Jobs website in each month since January 2010.

PrescriptionsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2013, Official Report, column 189W, on prescriptions, how many of the items listed under items dispensed, charges...

Primary Care TrustsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated running cost per head of population of each primary care trust in England is in 2012-13.

RegulationTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many regulations his Department has repealed in the last six months; and what the estimated cost-saving has been of each such repeal.

RegulationTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what regulations her Department repealed between 1 June 2012 and 31 January 2013; and what estimate she has made of the likely level of savings...

Government Procurement CardTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland with reference to his Department's data on Government Procurement Card spend over £500: June 2012, what was purchased at a value of £519.81 at...

Housing BenefitTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of people in Scotland whose entitlement to housing benefit will cease after the introduction of the size...

Housing BenefitTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the proportion of housing benefit recipients in Scotland who are affected by the introduction of the size criteria for...

Official HospitalityTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2013, Official Report, column 779W, on official hospitality, if he will publish the cost breakdown of each event.

Social Rented HousingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of households in the social rented sector in Scotland where (a) one bedroom or (b) two or more bedrooms are...

BuildingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) total floor space and (b) floor space measured in square metres per full-time equivalent post is of properties used by his...

BuildingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the names and locations are of all properties used by officials of his Department; whether those properties are (a) owned by the...

Fuel Poverty: Kingston upon HullTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in (a) Hull and (b) Kingston upon Hull North constituency who were...

Green Deal SchemeTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how the £600 million funding allocated to the Green Deal by the Green Investment Bank will be spent.

Solar Power: Manufacturing IndustriesTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) how many people are employed in solar photovoltaic manufacturing in the UK; (2) what proportion of employment in the UK solar...

UraniumTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of how many years' supply of uranium exists in global reserves.

Wind PowerTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of wind turbines accredited at 500kw are based on designs capable of producing more than 500kw.

AfghanistanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 34W, on Afghanistan, if she will place a copy of the report on...

AfghanistanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 35W, on Afghanistan, which official received the consultant's report...

AfghanistanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 35W, on Afghanistan, which official authorised her Department's...

Democratic Republic of CongoTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of (a) the situation of women in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and (b) their exposure to...

Democratic Republic of CongoTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will increase humanitarian funding to (a) Democratic Republic of Congo and (b) the North Kivu region to meet growing needs.

Departmental ResponsibilitiesTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's core statutory obligations are; and what estimate she has made of the annual cost of delivering each such obligation.

Developing Countries: Multinational CompaniesTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to ensure that multinational companies pay taxes in those developing countries in which they operate.

MaliTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she is having with ministerial colleagues to ensure the humanitarian consequences of the Mali conflict and refugee...

North AfricaTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent in North Africa in each year since 2003; and how much she intends to spend in that region in each of the...

North AfricaTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effect of military operations in North Africa on the UK's aid contributions to that region.

ProcurementTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 645W, on procurement, how many people are employed in the...

ProcurementTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 645W, on procurement, on how many occasions it has been agreed that...

RegulationTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many regulations her Department has repealed in the last six months; and what the estimated cost-saving has been of each such repeal.

SahelTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the UK proposes to take to increase the resilience of communities in Mali and other Sahelian countries to drought and food...

TravelTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on (a) the Government Car Service and (b) other taxi or car services for ministerial travel in each year...

Business Appointments Advisory CommitteeTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on which occasions the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments has refused to authorise applications from former Government Ministers for external...

Data ProtectionTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the protective markings on the Government's IA Standard No 6 Protecting Personal Data and Managing Information Risk are; and if he will place a...

Government Departments: ProcurementTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many small and medium-sized enterprises based in Wales have been successful in winning contracts to supply Government Departments; (2) what...

Life Expectancy: Yorkshire and the HumberTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the life expectancy at birth was in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years.

ProcurementTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department has been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since that website's inception.

Armed Forces: USATo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel of each rank are stationed in the US, including those on exchange.

NATO: Armed ForcesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of service personnel of each NATO rank have taken premature voluntary release in each of the last five years.

WarshipsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the Royal Navy has expressed an interest in manning one or more newly-constructed offshore patrol vessels; (2) what assessment he has made...

BangladeshTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the 2013 World Report by Human Rights Watch, what steps he has taken following allegations of serious human...

BangladeshTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed the issue of human rights in Bangladesh with his Bangladeshi counterparts.

BangladeshTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current human rights situation in Bangladesh.

BurmaTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which companies took part in the UK trade mission to Burma in December 2012.

Indonesia(1 annotation) To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had on increasing violations of freedom of religion or belief in Indonesia during the recent state visit by...

PalestiniansTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Palestinian Authority that reported remarks by Mayor Mustafa Fuqaha that Israeli security...

PalestiniansTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the naming of cultural and sporting events in Palestine after Palestinian terrorists.

PalestiniansTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority on reports that Fatah's official Lebanese Facebook page...

PalestiniansTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority after reports that Fatah's official Facebook page published...

RegulationTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations his Department has repealed in the last six months; and what the estimated cost-saving has been of each...

TravelTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on (a) the Government Car Service and (b) other taxi or car services for ministerial travel in...

Affordable Housing: SurreyTo ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much affordable housing has been built in (a) Woking constituency and (b) Surrey in each of the last five years.

BillingTo ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are...

Fire Services: FinanceTo ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reductions in funding for fire and rescue services on national...

Homelessness: BoltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of children who are homeless in (a) Bolton and (b) Bolton South East constituency; and...

Mayors: Tower HamletsTo ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what sanctions his Department is considering following the report by Ofcom into the political broadcasts of the Mayor of Tower...

Trading StandardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many trading standards officers there were in England and Wales in 2008; how many trading standards officers there are in...

Aviation: SecurityTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost is of security screening of (a) flight crew and (b) cabin crew at airports in the UK.

High Speed 2 Railway LineTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the amount that his Department will spend on High Speed 2 in each financial year from now to its completion.

IctTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) start date, (b) planned completion date, (c) expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) expected cost was of each information...

Large Goods VehiclesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has commissioned on the relationship between (a) HGV density of traffic flows, (b) speed of those traffic flows and (c)...

Liquefied Petroleum GasTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of the number of petrol stations that supply liquid petroleum gas fuel in each of the last five years; (2) what...

M180: Road TrafficTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the level of traffic on the M180 motorway over the next 10 years; and what estimate he has made of changes in HGV use of...

M180: Road TrafficTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what annual traffic flows on the M180 have been in each of the last five years; what the level of HGV use of that road has been in that period; and how...

Motor Vehicles: Spare PartsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent assessment he has made of the availability and use of counterfeit motor vehicle parts; and if he will make a statement; (2) what...

MotorwaysTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on research into the potential effect on road safety of the replacement of motorway hard shoulders by refuges;...

RoadsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport which roads have been reclassified to become part of the core network of nationally important routes in each of the last five years.

Speed Limits: Traffic LightsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the use of speed control traffic lights which are activated to turn red by drivers going over the speed...

TravelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on (a) the Government Car Service and (b) other taxi or car services for ministerial travel in each year since 2009-10;...

Unmanned Air VehiclesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2013 to the hon. Member for Strangford, Official Report, column 65W, on unmanned air vehicles, what primary and...

West Coast Railway LineTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2013, Official Report, columns 1014-5W, on West Coast Railway line, when he expects to have collected sufficient...

BailTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many placements have been available in bail accommodation funded from the public purse in each of the last three years; and what the average...

Bill of RightsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Commission on a Bill of Rights will publish the responses it has received to its second public consultation before it publishes its report on...

Bill of Rights: Northern IrelandTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Human Rights Commission about a separate Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

Community OrdersTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have been placed on community payback orders in each probation area in England and Wales for each year since 2008; and how many such...

Conditions of EmploymentTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2013, Official Report, column 198W, on conditions of employment, how many people were employed on zero-hour...

Conditions of EmploymentTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2013, Official Report, column 198W, on conditions of employment, what grades of employment the 140 members of staff...

Confiscation OrdersTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the 10 largest confiscation orders imposed by the courts for fraud cases were in the last 12 months.

Confiscation OrdersTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been recovered under each of the 10 largest confiscation orders imposed by the courts for fraud cases since May 2010.

Confiscation OrdersTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much has been recovered under each of the 10 largest confiscation orders imposed by the courts for drugs cases since May 2010; (2) what the 10...

Confiscation OrdersTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of the defendants ordered to pay the 10 largest confiscation orders imposed by the courts were recipients of legal aid in the last two years.

ConsultantsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many...

Departmental ResponsibilitiesTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's core statutory obligations are; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of delivering each such obligation.

Domestic VisitsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice which individuals and organisations (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have visited since May 2010; and on what date each such visit took place.

Human TraffickingTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the...

Legal Aid SchemeTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much and what proportion of legal aid was awarded in each year between 1997 and 2011 to individuals serving a custodial sentence at the time the...

PayTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employees in his Department were paid (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 per year and (b) in excess of £100,000 per year in each of...

Pay SystemsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish details of all payment by results scheme pilots since 2009 indicating (a) the aims and objectives of the pilot, (b) when the pilot...

Prisoners: Self-harmTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prisoners were considered to be at risk of self-harm in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; (2) how many prisoners in HM Prison Lincoln were...

Prisons: ExpenditureTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent from the public purse on prisons in each year since 1987.

Prisons: ExpenditureTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much capital expenditure there was on each prison in each year since 2007.

Prisons: FoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether any changes have been made to his Department's contract with 3663 to supply Halal meat for prison food in the last three years; (2) what...

ProbationTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice in the event of outsourcing of probation tasks, whether police and other criminal justice agencies will be given access to tagging and other related data...

ProbationTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what incentives he will put in place for probation trusts to merge prior to the tendering-out of probation work.

ProbationTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether, in the event of implementation of his proposals for outsourcing of probation tasks, the public-sector probation service will be organised on a...

Property LawTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether he has examined ways to reduce costs within boundary disputes involving real property; and if he will make a statement; (2) what the...

RegulationTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many regulations his Department has repealed in the last six months; and what has been the anticipated cost savings of each such repeal.

Roads: AccidentsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the operation of the criminal justice system to protect road users; and if he will make a statement.

SentencingTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average reduction in sentence is for a defendant who enters a guilty plea.

Sexual Offences: East of EnglandTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of convictions for (a) rape and (b) other sexual offences in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v)...

Trafford Housing TrustTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has held on the effect of the recent legal case between Mr Adrian Smith and Trafford Housing Trust on his Department's policies on...

Young Offender InstitutionsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice which institutions of the secure youth estate (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have visited since May 2010; and on what date each such visit...

Violence against WomenTo ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she is taking to support the One Billion Rising campaign to end violence against women and girls; and if she will make a statement.

Violence against WomenTo ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the cumulative effects of Government policies on efforts to tackle violence against women.

BiofuelsTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review the evidence on the effects on air quality as a result of the emissions from the combustion of biomass...

Circuses: Animal WelfareTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the draft Bill to ban wild animals in circus performances.

Circuses: LicensingTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if he will publish details of (a) all licensing inspections carried out in travelling circuses, (b) the licences...

Common Fisheries PolicyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the decision taken by the European Parliament on 5 February 2013 to approve the proposals for the reform of...

Departmental ResponsibilitiesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's core statutory obligations are; and what estimate he has of the annual cost of delivering each such...

Fisheries: ProtectionTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value is of any contract his Department holds with the Ministry of Defence to provide fishing protection; and when...

Fisheries: QuotasTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he will take steps to reallocate the unused fishing quota from producer organisations to fishermen using vessels of...

IvoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will raise the use of smartwater technology to improve the (a) traceability of ivory and (b) conviction rates of those...

Livestock: TransportTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of animals which have died during transport in the last year.

Livestock: TransportTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to prevent animals exported from the UK being slaughtered in ways that are illegal in the UK.

PesticidesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the European Food Safety Authority's advice on neonicotinoids; and if he will make a statement.

Slaughterhouses: CCTVTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to make an announcement on the outcome of the consultation into the mandatory introduction of CCTV in...

StaffTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff were employed by his Department in each of the last five years; and at what grade or pay band such staff were...

Armed Forces: ProcurementTo ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve reporting systems so they have access to information about direct commercial sales services provided by the UK Defence Procurement...

Aviation: Air Passenger DutyTo ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to modify air passenger duty; and, if so, by how much and when.

Bank of EnglandTo ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Bank of England has authorisation from HM Treasury to reinvest the proceeds of maturing bonds held in the Asset Purchase Fund used to implement...

BenefitsTo ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 29 January (WA 294) whether details of child benefit recipients' ordinarily resident status and their right to...

CatsTo ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of households that have one or more cats as a domestic pet.

DebtTo ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Deighton on 30 January (Official Report, col. 1535), whether levels of total debt in the United Kingdom economy are now higher or...

Food: PricesTo ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have studied the impact of financial market trading in commodities on food prices.

Government: Economic PoliciesTo ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Deighton on 30 January (Official Report, col. 1536), whether they will publish HM Treasury's graph of the "scissors of doom" for...

HMS "Manchester"To ask Her Majesty's Government what has happened or is planned to happen to HMS "Manchester" since her withdrawal from active service.

House of Lords: Mobile PhonesTo ask the Chairman of Committees what is the cost to a Member of the House of Lords of replacing a BlackBerry Curve mobile phone lost by that Member.

Insurance: Payment Protection InsuranceTo ask Her Majesty's Government how many bankers have been the subject of closed enforcement action by the Financial Services Authority in relation to the mis-selling of payment protection...

Marriage: Gay MarriageTo ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any European Union proposals to legislate on gay marriage; and, if so, whether they have influenced Government policy.

MigrationTo ask Her Majesty's Government which European-wide restrictions on movement are currently in force in respect of migrants with a history of low-level criminal behaviour.

Public Bodies Act 2011To ask Her Majesty's Government what areas of Home Office responsibility, previously carried out by non-departmental public bodies and covered by the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000,...

RSSTo ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement made by the Indian Home Secretary, Mr RK Singh, about terrorists involved in the Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid...

Taxation: Double TaxationTo ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made in negotiating a double taxation treaty with Brazil.

Taxation: Tax AvoidanceTo ask Her Majesty's Government how many taxpayers ticked the box in their tax return relating to tax avoidance schemes in each of the last three years.

Wildlife: Endangered SpeciesTo ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to support the conservation of lions in the light of recent research from Duke University estimating that only 32,000 lions remain on...

Wildlife: Endangered SpeciesTo ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to combat the illegal trade of wildlife, in the light of the European Union's position as one of the world's largest importers of...

Wildlife: TrophiesTo ask Her Majesty's Government what is the basis for their continued support for the exemption of hunting trophies as "personal and household effects" under the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations.

What are Written Answers?

The parliamentary question is a great way for MPs and Peers to discover information which the government may not wish to reveal. Ministers reply via written answers, a list of which gets published daily.